Sunday, March 28, 2010

I'm happy to say that by late afternoon there is a considerable change in Madison's poison ivy. This morning he woke to a few new areas, but the itching has slacked off some. The cream and meds are working! He wore pajama pants a lot of the day because jeans really make him want to scratch. You can tell if he was in pajamas, we did indeed have a low key day. Other than feeding, walking, and boarding pick up we stayed at home today. We read books, watched the rain, and the boys worked on an Easter project (I'll post about that later). Miss Ruth Ella tried to catch up some much needed rest. Arthur and the girls arrived home at 6:00PM, just in time for us to eat dinner together. The remainder of the evening we sat around and exchanged stories about the week end. Those of us at home had lots to tell, but Arthur and the girls stories were the best. Then right before bed Arthur hooked up the projector and we watched a slide show of pictures they took on their Father/Daughter Retreat. They had a wonderful time, and they'll be sharing soon...with pictures :)

Everyone is in bed, and I best head that direction too. Tomorrow at 8:30 AM our children start TCAPS in Chattanooga 30 minutes away. We'll need to leave the house by 7:45AM because of traffic. Hope you all have a great start to your week!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

With bags packed and a week end of fun ahead Arthur, Elizabeth, Amanda, and Rebekah headed out of town yesterday around 11:00AM. The girls had been looking forward to this weekend for over a year. They are at Callaway Gardens for the Father and Daughter Retreat hosted by Vision Forum. The girls wanted to attend last year but it was sold out when we tried to sign up. This year we watched and as soon as registration was open we signed up. I have talked to them several times, I can tell they are having a splendid time by the excitement in their voices. I know the girls were thrilled about dressing up and being escorted by their Daddy to High Tea this afternoon. I can't wait to see the pictures when they return home, and sit back and hear every detail of the retreat. I'm sure they'll share on their blog as well.

Now for those of us who stayed home, we are holding down the store. Madison, James, Stephen and I worked the store yesterday. It was steady the entire day, making time fly. I haven't worked at the shop a full day since our family had the flu last January, and I never have worked it with an all boy crew. It went well, Madison knows the ropes and the other 2 followed his lead. My mom kept the other 3 boys and Ruth Ella, she's never done that. I believe my mom had a full day as well. Ruth Ella ate cereal and fruit for my mom, but only took a 45 minute nap the whole day. Ruth Ella hasn't ever had a bottle until yesterday, and my mom said she took 4 gulps and refused it! Guess this is what happens when your almost 7 months old and Mama never leaves you. All in all my mother said she did very well. Jonathan is now doing much better, I think it's safe to say he is well :)

In the Munck house we don't go to long between happenings good or bad. So, to make the week end interesting for those of us at home we tossed in an ER visit!!! It wasn't Wesley this time around. Nope the young man that doesn't get mentioned to often on the blog...Madison! To try and make a long story short Madison awoke yesterday morning to a mild itchy rash on his checks and arms, 24 hours later the rash was taking over. Madison face had large whelps that were weepy, his arms were worse and it had spread to his stomach and thighs. I gave him Benadryl and it kept the itching down some. We "ALL" (7 kiddos & I) had to work at the store this morning and as the morning went on the rash was looking worse on Madison's face, driving him batty! At 2:00PM we were going to my nieces birthday party, as soon as we got there my mom (a nurse) looked at Madison and said he needs to see a doctor. After her presents were opened off we went. Madison has poison ivy, which is what we thought. He and his brothers have been clearing out a wooded area behind our house to build a fort, I'm sure he picked it up there. Madison has had poison ivy in the past but not on his face, and he says it's painful. By the time we got to the hospital it had spread to his upper lip, and the corners of his mouth. They gave him Triamcinolone cream to coat on the rash, put him on Prednisone for 9 days, and said to continue to use the Benadryl. I hope the meds kick in fast because before bed he said it's now in other places.

Well, wonder what tomorrow will be like? Tonight I'll be praying for a low key day tomorrow, and thanking Him for all He has done for us.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Jonathan is starting to feel better from the nasty virus that ran through our home. He has a cough, yucky nose, and low grade fever as of today. On Wednesday he was very sick and started having stomach pains. He kept pointing to his side and placing his hand over his G-tube. Around his G-tube site he was having some clear drainage, this isn't a good sign. I change his tube out every 3 months and just changed it on March 14, so I didn't think the balloon was leaking. I checked it and the balloon was filled with the right amount of fluid. So, we knew then the drainage was coming from inside....sigh*

Arthur and I decided it would be best to take him to T.C.Thompson Children's Hospital where he could see his GI doctor. They took Jonathan right in and first thing checked his weight. He was due to go next week for his weight check anyway, as I mentioned in January last G-tube Update Jonathan has lost a little over 2 pounds in the past 3 months. May not sound like much but for him it's a big deal, he needed to have maintained his weight or gained. He did however grow 2 inches, that was a big surprise. So, Jonathan has gone back on his Pedisure 2 cans a day, to help supplement his diet again. Now to the drainage, it was indeed coming from inside. They think we may have to change out the size of G-tube he has to a bigger one, because the drainage is coming out around the sides. We are going to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't continue to do this (it has already slowed down). The cause for all the pain Jonathan was experiencing was from the virus and the drainage. The virus has set in around the skin/opening where the tube goes in, and the drainage is acidic and irritating his skin.......can we say inflamed! Poor boy it was like his skin was on fire. They (burned) the inflamed skin area with silver nitrate to help deaden the area. (I do this at home once a month, but they really fixed him up!) He never likes that to be done, and this time it seemed even more painful. Yet, as always he was a brave boy and took it all like a big man, such a trooper!

On another medical note, Jonathan was scheduled to have another set of PE tubes put in this month. Just 2 days before he was to have the surgery insurance said that they wouldn't pay for the surgery, because they don't find it medically necessary. Not sure how they can say this, when the ENT remember Dr. Guru from PE tube set #11?! Well he was very nice and said Jonathan "needs" this surgery NOW! He also did another hearing test and said Jonathan's hearing is worse than it has ever been. (Dr. Guru and Jonathan's pediatrician are doing all they can to help us out...insurance stinks!) This he didn't have to tell us. It has gotten so bad that often times he doesn't hear me talking to him at all, because of the tone/pitch of my voice. He always hears his Daddy, but even he has to speak loud. We are geared up to fight for his rights for this surgery. Again I know it's not a cure, but it helps so much even if it's temporary. We also know one day the tissue won't allow for another surgery, but until then we will face this battle head on.

My last post on Jonathan's feeding tube, I mentioned several things that we would be praying for and about. We have continued to pray for these things because we are a family that believes in the power of prayer. One might think we would be disappointed that what we have been praying about hasn't been given. We aren't disappointed at all for we know that the God we serve knows better than we, and HE has been ever so faithful to us time and time again! So, we rejoice for what we have been given , and take our burdens and lay them at His feet. We would welcome prayers for Jonathan and his health.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Munck house is finally starting to see the end of the sickness! Last week Wesley, James, Stephen, and William were all sick running high fevers with a nasty cough and sore throats. It took 5 to 6 days to run its course.

This is the face I saw on Wesley a large part of the week, mixed with this....

Yep, lots of crying! He cried over everything from fever to someone looking at him the wrong way. This made for an interesting week, and he kept the virus the longest having a fever 8 consecutive days in a row! Now by Thursday this is what we began to see.....

Ruth Ella got hit with the virus! Miss Ruth Ella had the virus the shortest amount of time thankfully only lasting 3 days. As of Sunday the 4 boys were fever free and Miss Ruth Ella was starting to feel better as well. The virus wasn't done with the Munck kiddos yet.....

Yesterday, Jonathan started running a fever! I was hoping he was going to get through this virus being untouched, didn't happen. Today he has a fever and the nasty cough, and eating very little. So, I'm guessing his throat hurts too. Now I'm praying that the bigs don't get sick, but I really think they would have by now. With all the littles in their face and the coughing, pretty sure they would have had it already. Now to get back into our routine, last week really got us out of whack! Thanks for the kind words last week and the prayers!

Now I'm praying tomorrow won't be the same pattern as Monday through Wednesday. If it is then I get to cuddle with the littles more than normal, read until I need a drink of water, color some pictures, give medicine to calm the raging fevers, and pray that this virus will pass. All the while remembering they are little for such a short time, so I'll soak in every moment I have with them. For one day they will be to big for cuddles, or wanting me to read, for coloring pictures, or needing Mama to administer medicine. One thing is for sure they will never outgrow their Mama praying for them, whether sick or well. Oh how thankful I am to be their Mama, for I know that I'm blessed.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

With Wesley life keeps us hopping and in stitches he's so funny. Wesley favorite thing in the world is to be read to, he loves to color, and sit right alongside his brothers when they are doing their school work. At 3 he's like a little sponge taking in letters, sounds, and numbers. So today when he got up from his nap he grabbed his new coloring book and William's pencil. He climbed up in the chair next to me and this is how our conversation went.....

Wesley: How you spell it?

Me: How do you spell what?

Wesley: How do you spell it, Mama?

Me: Do you want to spell a word?

Wesley: Yes, I spell Web-E(as he calls himself).

I chuckle under my breath, looked at Rebekah and said "well it would help if he could write the words"!

Me: OK, W....

Wesley: W, YAs he is saying Y he is signing the letter Y to me, he gets this from Jonathan signing. So he may not be able to write Y but he can sign it! Before I can say anything else he looks at me and says....

Wesley: tttt (making the letter t sound)T...right Mama? ttt...yeah. See I did it, I write Web-E!

He was very proud of himself. It's so much fun to see what children say and come up with, keeps my days full of laughter and joy. I love to watch my children grow and learn, what a privilege it is! What funny things do you kids say?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Miss Ruth Ellais 6 months old today!It's so hard to believe that 6 months has passed bysince Ruth Ella entered this world.We are loving every minute with her, and still soaking in all the pink.She loves to be held, rocked, and cuddled.....of course with her thumb in her mouth.When she's awake her brothers are all a buzz around her,doting over her and giving her one toy after another.All this attention is great, but it also keeps a girl from needing to do for herself.Miss Ruth Ella can roll from her stomach to her back, but has yet to master rolling from her back to her stomach. She hasn't found the need for rolling around or being a little more mobile,because her brothers will do it for her.They roll her over, they hold her, sing her songs, and read her books. William calls her "his" princess, and tells everyone she loves Mama and him best.(yes he's a little possessive and we're working on that)

Miss Ruth Ella is now eating cereal once a day, and she loves it!She is now on a wonderful schedule. She takes 2 napes a day and goes to be for thenight between 8:30 and 9:00PM, and sleep until 7:00AM....this makes her Mama very happy:)

Monday, March 8, 2010

We had 8 children in the fall of 2006, and this was the last time our whole family had been to the Tennessee Aquarium. The view behind the children is the Tennessee River.

Arthur and I...I was pregnant with Wesley.

William was the baby!

Elizabeth, Madison , and Stephen inside the aquarium...kind of :)

The kids "ALL" loved the escalator!

This picture was taken in the salt water area, it had really neat cubbies to sit in. Our children crawled right into this one and it made a great spot for a picture. Fall of 2006 we stayed home for our vacation and went to some local attractions, Tennessee Aquarium was our first stop.

MEMORIES PRESENTMarch 7, 2010

(Wesley's 3rd Birthday)

Tennessee Aquarium

All the boys checking out the view of the Tennessee River.Arthur and I, looking at this picture it shows the kids aren't the only ones getting older :)Wesley was the baby "boy" on this trip. Since it was his third birthday I'm sure he'd say he is the big boy!

William and Wesley "in" the aquarium!

As you can see we still have a group that loves the escalator!

Here's the same cubby that the kids crawled into last time, but it looks a little smaller this time! Must be because we have added 2 more children and the other 8 have grown!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Last week our weather here in the south looked like this. It was sunny warm and a great day to be outside breathing in the smell of fresh air. A day that looked like we would be saying Good-Bye to winter and Hello to spring.

All the kids went outside and they didn't even need jackets...ah it was so nice. Wesley drove the "jeep" as he calls it around the yard for hours.

James flew the American flag on top of the fort, and they played freeze tag....so not sure what he was doing on top of the fort, but he was having a good time.

The girls were jumping on the trampoline and Amanda got the biggest kid Daddy up there to do a few tricks. Arthur laughs and loves to tell the kids how he took tumbling in college, and passed it with flying colors...he really did! The warm day went by way to fast, and we are looking for many more of those days.

TODAY...

We woke to this....

SNOW!!!!

The snow fell for several hours and it was beautiful.

This was a very heavy wet snow, and covered the ground fast. No playing outside without a jacket today, sad part was as soon as the snow stopped it started melting. So for the past week or so we have had spring like weather and snow. What an odd winter the south has had, but we've loved every minute of it!

The snow was also a reminder of where we were this time last year on our RV TRIP. That was so much fun and we saw and played in loads of snow! The sad part is we were to be in Canada this week visiting with our dear friends the Pauls, playing in snow, eating yummy food, and fellow shipping. We are sad that we had to change the plans because of our business, BUT Lord willing we'll be going to visit them in just a few weeks!

As much as I love the snow and that our children have gotten to play in it, I'm ready for spring and all the "new" that comes with spring. So what about you are you ready for spring?

Pages

About Me

My name is Laura, I'm wife to Arthur, I have 12 kiddos who call me Mama, we own small business, and most importantly I'm a born again Christain....the list could go on :) In life I have found that we are ALL walking a journey, and like any journey none are the same. This blog is my home on the web where I can share my journey past and present. Life is so full and never dull, I'm seeking to soak in each moment of the day....as the journey of life is a gift from the Lord.